From Steps to Leaps
by theghoulthatwrites
Summary: Hinami has finally taken the next step in her relationship with Ayato, but they're about to take a giant leap after a certain surprise.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Here's s continuation-ish thing for The Next Step! Please keep in mind that they both take place on a different timeline/universe of sorts than Reality Kick. I just wanted to make Hinami pregnant, tbh. That's all I can say really... {OOC as fuck probably though}**

**[Stay tuned for A/N]**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Sighing dejectedly, Hinami exited the bathroom and plopped herself on the living room couch, cuddling a pillow. It had been over a month since her last period, which normally wouldn't worry her since she had always been irregular, but she had never missed two in a row. The first one she chalked up to excitement and stress of packing her things to move in with her boyfriend. However, now she was done packing and still hadn't come.

Standing, she made her way towards the bedroom, scanning the apartment for her boyfriend's presence warily. Relaxing slightly when she realized he wasn't home, she entered their bedroom and began to change out of her lounge clothes. After she was dressed appropriately she left the room, grabbing her purse as she walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. Slowly walking along the road, she thought about what would change if her suspicion was correct.

"What will Ayato do? What about Big Brother and Big Sister? What am I going to do?"

As the store came into view, she pushed those questions into the back of her mind, determined to remain positive and avoid jumping straight to conclusions. Stepping into the store, she wandered the aisles until she found the one she needed. She dreaded the idea of what she needed from the aisle, but she knew it was the only way to get answers. Hinami briskly moved through the aisle and picked up what she needed, barely even pausing to see what brand it was.

Luckily for her, the store had a self-checkout option that would save her from the embarrassment of buying a pregnancy test. Quickly she paid for the test and left the store, almost running towards the apartment.

Once there, she paused briefly to listen to the silence and determined that her boyfriend still wasn't home. Locking herself in the bathroom, she took the test from the box and read the instructions-even though she knew how one was supposed to use a pregnancy test.

As she waited a few minutes for the results, she sat on the floor amidst the stacks of unpacked boxes brought from Kaneki and Touka's house. Hinami forced herself to calm down slightly, telling herself that no matter the result freaking out wouldn't change it. Five minutes later, she mustered up just enough courage to stand and pick up the test.

Hinami froze. She stared at the two pink lines, eyes wide and mouth open slightly. True, she had known that that would most likely be the result, but that didn't mean she wasn't affected by it. Dropping the test, she took a deep breath as it clattered into one of the unpacked boxes sitting on the counter.

Stumbling out of the bathroom in a daze, she stumbled down the hallway and into the bedroom. Falling onto the bed, she stared at the ceiling as the news finally set in completely. She laid there for a while, wondering what she was going to do now.

"First thing's first, I have to tell Ayato," she groaned, rolling onto her stomach and burying her face into a pillow.

Meanwhile, Ayato had gone to his sister's house to get the last of Hinami's things. He immediately began to regret doing so when the first thing he was faced with was his brother-in-law's scowling face.

"Hey Touka, your stupid husband is being weird again!" He sighed and stood in the entrance, not bothering to take off his shoes.

Touka appeared behind her husband and grabbed his ear, dragging him away from Ayato and into the living room where she forced him to sit down. She looked back at her brother.

"Sit down, he wanted to talk to you or something. I'll go get Hinami's things," she ordered before disappearing down the hallway.

Grumbling, Ayato sat in a chair across from Kaneki. "So, what do you want?"

"Nothing much," Kaneki drawled. "I just wanted to make sure you won't change your mind about Hinami."

"And why would I do that?" Ayato huffed, crossing his arms. "I might be a giant ass, but I know that I wouldn't leave her."

Kaneki looked at Ayato sternly before he relaxed and smiled brightly. "That's good! Because if something like that ever did happen, you would be in a world of trouble. I don't care if you're Touka's brother, if you hurt my little sister I will personally end you. I won't just stop at 103 bones."

Ayato shuddered faintly. He clearly remembered when he was an immature shit and was "half-killed" by his future brother-in-law. He didn't want to go through that again and Kaneki saying it with a cheerful smile just made it feel more threatening.

"Also," Kaneki continued, causing Ayato to grunt impatiently, "If you do something stupid like getting her pregnant before you're married, you won't be able to sire any children after that one."

Before Ayato could respond with a snarky comment, Touka smacked her husband on the back of his head.

"You're acting like you are Hinami's father, it's creepy," she said. Kaneki just smiled goofily.

"Well, alright then. This has been shitty enough for me, I'm leaving!" Ayato stood up from the chair and quickly walked out the front door, pausing briefly to grab the small box Touka had set on the table.

Finally arriving at his apartment, Ayato breathed a sigh of relief as he unlocked the door and entered the quiet space. Setting the box on the pile of other unpacked boxes, he looked around the living room and kitchen for his small girlfriend. Not seeing her, he wandered down the hall and stopped by the bathroom. The bathroom was empty so he glanced at the closed bedroom door and shrugged, deciding to take a shower before going to her.

Stepping out of the shower, Ayato wrapped a towel around his waist and maneuvered around the bathroom to stand in front of the mirror, rubbing his hair with another towel. Glancing down at the boxes cluttering the small room, a plastic stick caught his eye. Curious, Ayato picked it up and studied it. It was all white except for the two thin, pink lines at one of end; lines that Ayato thought he would never see in his entire life.

"Fuck." He threw the towel in the hamper as he stalked out of the bathroom and to the bedroom, holding the test in his hand.

Hinami looked up from her book when she heard the door open, revealing her towel clad boyfriend. She smiled when she saw him, but it dropped as she caught sight of the test in his hand. Trying act normally, she looked up and met his eyes that were focused on her seriously. He sighed and walked to the dresser to get dressed as Hinami closed her book and staring blankly the cover. Once the rustling of Ayato getting dressed stopped, the test was suddenly thrown into her lap. Shuddering lightly, she slowly looked up from her lap.

"What's this?" She heard him ask rhetorically. Mustering some bravery, she tried to laugh lightly as she responded,

"It's a pregnancy test, Ayato, can't you see that?"

He said nothing as he continued to stare at her, an eyebrow raised. Sighing, she looked away and mumbled under her breath, "I'm pregnant."

"Yeah I figured out that much," he retorted. "How long?"

"I just found out today," she whispered, gesturing to the test in her lap. Feeling tears gather in her eyes, she bit her lip and continued, "I'm sorry."

Ayato sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, moving to sit on the edge of the bed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting her cling to his shirt.

"You don't have to apologize," he said as she clutched his shirt in her fists and began to cry.

"But… I know you don't want children," she cried, her voice muffled against his chest. He sighed.

"Yes, I didn't want kids, but what's done is done," he told her. "We can't go back and change it so we just have to accept it."

Hinami nodded, still crying into his chest. Ayato held his girlfriend closely, rubbing her back comfortingly. He wasn't sure how he felt about becoming a father; he didn't entirely oppose the idea but he also didn't completely accept it either. All he could do right now was comfort a Hinami and just accept the fact that it was happening. Suddenly, the conversation with his brother-in-law earlier popped into his head and he groaned internally.

_'Shit, Kaneki is going to fucking kill me.'_

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**Oh man, what a shitty ending right? I kind of lost steam towards the end, I really liked the idea of him finding the test and then freaking out, but I just couldn't get him to freak out for some reason? OH I KNOW! I'll write another one where he freaks out! *whispers* While at the same time telling Kaneki and Touka...**

**Temporary Hiatus Announcement: I'm still not completely out of the woods here yet, and probably won't be until the semester is over. So, another 6 or 7 weeks and then it'll be summer so I can write! But, I am coming up with ideas for things to write, so that's a positive! c:**

**I wanna ask y'alls opinion, and please be honest: Okay so my friend got me into Fairy Tail and it ruined me so of course I really wanna write FT fanfiction now. But, my main idea for an FT fic is going to be a journal of sorts. As in, I'm going to write a story about Lucy (because she is my child) and she'll go through some of the same things I do. Mostly depression and overcoming it. Idk, I thought it might also help me with my own struggle... Tell me what you think! (Also just let me know if you think I could write FT or anything besides Tokyo Ghoul tbh)**

**As always, a huge thank you for reading and putting up with my shenanigans! I promise to bring Reality Kick back as soon as possible! I know what the next chapter is about, I just need to find the motivation to write it! But anyway, please tell me what you think and if you have any constructive criticism or suggestions, I will be more than happy to hear/read them!**

**With love,**

**Lau ( ˘ ³˘)**

**Tschüss!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey y'all! I'm sorry it took so long to get this written and uploaded, but here it is! Probably OOC but, hey, I tried. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧**

**[Stay tuned for A/N]**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Hinami sat on the coffee table fiddling with the hem of her dress, scared to look the older couple in front of her, specifically Kaneki. Next to her, Ayato sat with his arms crossed and an almost blank expression, looking straight ahead.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right," Kaneki said politely. "Did you say Hinami is **pregnant**?"

* Previous Night *

_/Ayato held Hinami until she stopped crying, still rubbing circles onto her back soothingly. They sat in silence with the exception of Hinami's occasional sniffle, both wondering what to do next. Of course telling Kaneki and Touka was the first thing they had to do, but they were completely lost at what was to happen after that._

_ Still sniffling, Hinami broke the silence, her voice muffled by the fabric of Ayato's shirt. "You know we need to tell Big Brother and Big Sister."_

_ "I know."_

_ "I want to tell them tomorrow," she whispered. _

_ Ayato froze, hands stilled on her back. "Wait, what? __**Tomorrow?**__"_

_ Hinami sighed. "Yes, tomorrow."_

_ "Why?" Ayato looked at his girlfriend as if she was crazy. He wasn't exactly ready to have that conversation with his brother-in-law. Considering the conversation they had earlier, telling Kaneki that his precious little sister was pregnant was sure to end badly._

_ "Waiting to tell them isn't going to change anything, so we might as well just tell them as soon as possible," she explained, leaning back to look at his face. Wrapping her arms around her still-flat stomach, she admitted, "I'm going to need help anyway and Touka is the only other person we know that has children, since my mother is gone."_

_ Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Ayato sighed, "Alright, we'll do it tomorrow." _

_ Hinami smiled and kissed his cheek, moving to lie down on the bed. She waited for her boyfriend to turn off the light and join her under the covers before curling into him, exhausted from the emotional roller coaster of the day. Just before she fell asleep, she thought she heard Ayato mumble something about this being the "only kid" he'll ever have, but decided to leave it alone and let her exhaustion take over. _

_ Ayato laid on his back, one arm wrapped around his sleeping girlfriend, staring at the ceiling while he thought about the next day. _'Finding out Hinami is pregnant the same day I was threatened about this happening, what kind of twisted irony is that?' _Sighing he rolled on his side and rested his chin on Hinami's head, resigning himself to Kaneki's overprotective anger that was sure to be present tomorrow. /_

* Next Day *

_/"Do you think we should have called them first?" Hinami stared at the door in front of her nervously, afraid to knock._

_ Ayato sighed. "It's fine; they would have worried even more if we just told them "there's something we need to talk about" without any explanation. It was your idea to tell them anyway, so you can't back out now."_

_ "I know..." She slipped her hand in his, threading their fingers tightly, and gave him a small smile before facing the door once more. Taking a deep breath, she rapped the door with her free hand and waited for somebody to answer. At the sound of the door being unlocked, Hinami clutched Ayato's hand as if it were a lifeline, feeling a smidgen less nervous when he lightly squeezed her hand. Not even a minute later, the door opened to reveal a very surprised Kaneki. Smiling shyly, Hinami greeted softly, "Good morning, big brother."_

_ "Hinami, Ayato; what are you doing here?" Kaneki asked, confused. He looked between the couple, ignoring Ayato's usual annoyed expression, and noticed something off about Hinami. "Are you feeling okay, Hinami? You look pale."_

_ Hinami froze for an instant, taken by surprise that he noticed her unusually pale complexion. Recollecting herself, she shook her head. "I'm fine. But there is something we need to tell you and big sister..."_

_ Kaneki's eyebrow rose gingerly, feeling an awkward tension radiating from the young couple before him. He looked at Ayato suspiciously, wondering what they could possibly need to tell them. Truthfully, he already had an idea of what it was, but was holding out on the hope that he was wrong. Giving them a bright smile, Kaneki waved them into his home. "I'll go get Touka."_

_ Removing their shoes in the foyer, Hinami shuffled into the living room, pulling a still-silent Ayato behind her. Not feeling comfortable sitting on the couch, Hinami settled on the coffee table facing it, while Ayato plopped down beside her._

_ Watching his girlfriend release his hand and begin wringing them together in her lap, he muttered, "You need to calm down. Acting paranoid isn't going to make it any easier, you know."_

_ Unclenching her hands, Hinami wrapped her arms around her middle and sighed. "I can't help it... What if they get really angry?"_

_ Ayato snorted. "I doubt Kaneki could ever be seriously angry at you, he'd be pissed off at __**me**__."_

_ "But big sister..."_

_ "Would be more rational since, unlike her husband, she doesn't have a creepy sister-complex," Ayato quipped, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her a smug smile. _

_ Cutting off her response, Kaneki returned with his wife in tow and sat on the couch, shooting Ayato a baleful look. Hinami smiled at Touka as the older woman situated herself beside her husband. _

_ Touka returned the smile as she pinched her husband's arm, forcing him to stop glaring at the younger man. "Good morning, Hinami. You have something you need to tell us?"_

_ "Uh... Where are the twins?" Hinami wondered, avoiding the questioning gaze of the couple in front of her._

_ "They're still sleeping," Kaneki answered, slightly impatiently. _

_ "I see," she uttered lamely, her head lowered. She began to fiddle with her skirt anxiously. "W-Well we needed to tell you..."_

_ She trailed off, sending Ayato a pleading look. Ayato sighed and faced his family._

_ "Hinami's pregnant," he stated blandly. /_

* Present *

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right," Kaneki said politely. "Did you say Hinami is **pregnant**?"

Hinami glanced up from her skirt, hoping that he wasn't too angry. While Kaneki didn't sound particularly angry, his face was a different story. He was still smiling, but it was forced as he tried to keep his emotions in line. Hinami flinched, bile rising up to her throat, as Kaneki glared venomously at his brother-in-law.

Touka saw Hinami's flinch and reached up to smack her husband across the back of the head. "Stop glaring like that, idiot."

"But, Touka," he whined, looking at his wife pleadingly.

Shaking her head, Touka nodded towards Hinami. "You glaring at Ayato is making her uncomfortable, and I know she's already uncomfortable enough."

Kaneki blinked and looked at his little sister, feeling guilty as he saw her slightly green face and worried stare. He sighed, "Sorry, Hinami. I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

Hinami shook her head, not trusting her voice, and smiled slightly. Stomach churning, she glanced at her still and silent boyfriend. Ayato nodded faintly and Hinami looked back at the couple in front of her, offering a strained smile before standing up and practically bolting for the restroom.

Touka gave Kaneki a "be nice" look and followed after Hinami, leaving Ayato to deal with her irate husband.

Ayato watched his sister disappear into the bathroom, door closed behind her, before he turned back to the man sitting in front of him. He said nothing; only stared straight ahead. He figured that as soon as he opened his mouth, there would be some kind of argument from the other party, and he would just as soon avoid it altogether. _'More like avoided this whole situation,' _he thought.

Both men were silent, watching the other carefully, for a few minutes before Kaneki spoke up.

"Kind of odd that Hinami turns up pregnant the day after I talked to you, don't you think?" He raised an eyebrow at Ayato. "Obviously there's no way she could have gotten pregnant between then and now, but still."

Ayato crossed his arms over her chest and sighed. "Exactly what is it you want from me; an apology? You'll be waiting a hell of a long time for that."

"Don't be stupid, why would I want an apology? I'm not her father," Kaneki huffed, looking offended.

"Sure as hell act like it though," Ayato grunted.

Kaneki ignored the comment and continued, "I just want to know what you're going to do from here."

"What am I supposed to do?" Ayato shrugged. "It's not like I can change the fact that she's pregnant."

"Of course not, we'd all kill you if you thought you could," Kaneki said matter-of-factly. He looked at Ayato sternly. "The only thing I want to know is that you don't plan to leave because you 'aren't ready to be a father.'"

Ayato groaned, exasperated. "Why does it always come back to me leaving her; I told you yesterday that I'm not going to leave her. I may be an asshole and not ready to have a kid, but it's not her fault."

"True, but there's always the possibility," Kaneki quipped.

"For the last time," he growled, "**I am not going to leave Hinami**."

Kaneki studied Ayato closely, discerning the young man's sincerity, before relaxing back onto the couch. Both fell silent once again, waiting for the women to return.

Hinami stumbled into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her, all but collapsing in front of the toilet. As she clung to the bowl desperately, she heard the door open and softly click shut before a hand gently rubbed her back. In a pause between heaves she glanced up to see Touka watching her empathetically.

"Tou-" A particularly violent heave wracked her body, cutting off whatever she was about to say. She turned her face back into the bowl, emptying the contents of her stomach.

"Shh." Touka made soothing noises, moving Hinami's hair away from her face and rubbing circles onto her back, as she retched and heaved.

Nausea finally subsiding, Hinami leaned back against the bathtub, trying to catch her breath. Silently she watched as Touka flushed the toilet and wet a rag. Using the rag, she wiped the sweat from Hinami's face.

Hinami sighed, enjoying the cool rag on her flushed face. "Is it always this bad?" she wondered.

"Pretty much," Touka answered, grinning. "There must be something in the Kirishima blood; there's always been difficult pregnancies."

Groaning, Hinami buried her face in her hands. "I don't know if I can do this..."

Touka shrugged. "Morning sickness usually lasts for three months, though it's more like "All day" sickness."

She shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

"You mean the pregnancy in general?" Touka looked at Hinami tenderly. The poor girl looked so scared that it threatened to break her heart. Slowly, Touka wrapped her arms around Hinami's shoulders, her head resting on Touka's shoulder. "It's going to be fine, we'll be here. Ken may seem mad right now, but he's just an idiot that doesn't accept the idea of his precious baby sister having babies."

"What about Ayato?" Hinami sniffled. "He doesn't want children."

"Ayato will come around, he's probably just as scared as you are." Touka lifted Hinami's face and, looking her in the eye, spoke seriously. "This is not your fault, Hinami; it takes two people to get pregnant. Don't you dare blame yourself, understand?"

Hinami nodded mutely. She still felt scared, but knowing that her big sister and big brother would be there no matter what eased some of that fear.

Touka smiled. "Now let's get you back out there before Ken barges in."

Giggling slightly, Hinami slowly rose from the floor and brushed her teeth before letting herself be pulled to the living room.

When the two entered the living room, Hinami looked between the two men nervously. They were both eerily silent, but wore calm expressions. Kaneki looked at his wife and, at her nod, stood and approached Hinami. Touka patted Hinami's hand and let her go, moving to sit next to her brother.

"Hinami." Kaneki waited until she looked at him before continuing. "I'm sorry I got mad, it's not your fault."

Her lip trembled slightly as she threw herself at him, clutching his shirt in her fists. As he wrapped his arms around her, a feeling of safety washed over her, just as it always did when Kaneki hugged her. For the first time since she found out, Hinami honestly felt that everything was going to be fine.

She rested her head on Kaneki's shoulder, listening to the soft indistinguishable murmurs of Touka and Ayato's conversation. She heard her boyfriend curse at his sister when she, Hinami assumed, ruffled his hair. The peaceful feeling that had developed was broken when a cry echoed from the hallway. Hinami raised her head and looked at Touka.

Touka threw a pointed look at her husband. "I put them down for their nap, it's your turn now, papa."

Kaneki nodded and released Hinami, grinning. He grabbed her hand and began tugging her behind him to the twins' room. "You'll need all the practice with children you can get now that you're going to be a parent," he explained when she gave him a weird look.

Hinami blinked, but didn't stop. She had a feeling that her big brother was going to make sure she knew every little thing about babies, from birthing to changing diapers, long before she would even have her own baby.

That night, while lying in bed, Hinami thought back to the conversation that morning. She almost laughed at how scared she was to tell Touka and Kaneki that she was pregnant. The new rush of hormones must have made her paranoid; they would never abandon her for being pregnant.

She turned on her side, facing Ayato. "What were you and Touka talking about before the twins woke up?"

"The usual," he mumbled, yawning. "She told me that you were scared of would happen with me and to take care of you or she'll personally see to it that I'll never have kids again."

"I guess it could have been worse," she mused. "Though I think Big Brother was seriously thinking of doing that."

"Mm."

Hinami kissed his cheek before rolling and cuddling against him, her back to her chest. His arm draped over her waist, pulling her slightly closer, with his hand resting on her still-flat belly. She touched the hand on her middle, lacing her fingers with his, and fell asleep with a serene smile across her face.

* * *

**Ta-da! Personally, I feel this could have been better, but I worked on it for almost two weeks and figured this was as good as it was gonna get at this point. As for the future of this little shindig, I'm planning on making it 5 chapters (plus epilogue, maybe Idk). Next chapter might be decorating the nursery when she's like half-way and the last two will be the birth (kinda like with Reality Kick), who knows. I won't promise anything beyond the birth, but I will try to make this as enjoyable as possible!**

**As always, a huge thank you for reading! I couldn't do it without you guys, tbh. Y'all keep me going with writing, I swear. Please feel free to leave any comments/questions/concerns in the forms of a review, PM, or Tumblr message! Also, if there's something you'd like to see me write, ask and ye shall receive, cuties!**

**With love,**

**Lau ( ˘ ³˘) **

**Tschüss!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Standard disclaimer: I do not own anything besides the children and the plotline.**

* * *

Ayato entered his home with a weary sigh; he was beyond exhausted. Having a pregnant girlfriend was beginning to take a toll on his health; he felt as if he had eaten an entire pot of that stew Touka's human friend would always make.

Hinami wasn't faring much better than he was; she was having a very rough pregnancy. The baby kept her awake most of the night and it wasn't even kicking yet. She was constantly sick, spending most nights curled on a rug in front of the toilet. Their friends and family tried to help her; Kimi recommended that she lay flat on her back and rub certain points on her belly. Touka helped as much as she could seeing as Hinami was experiencing many of the same things she did with the twins, but it wasn't enough. It was assumed that her more intense symptoms were inherited from her side of the family, which didn't help at all since both of Hinami's parents were dead. Even Touka's human friend, Yoriko, gave her advice on how to sit in a way to alleviate the pain in her back.

On the whole it had been a very rough pregnancy thus far; Ayato could only hope that something would change soon so they could both get some sleep. He shuffled into the kitchen after kicking his shoes off at the door.

"Uncle Yato!" Two small voices cheered.

Ayato grunted as something slammed into his legs and wrapped around them. He looked down to find his sister's children clinging to his legs. Shaking them off, he set a bag on the kitchen counter and wandered into the living room. What he saw made him groan.

Hinami was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the living room, playing with two babies laying on the soft rug in front of her. The room was riddled with baby things; there were two cribs, a bassinet, changing table, highchair, even a baby swing, and boxes of baby clothes from Touka.

"I was gone for ten minutes, what the hell is all this?"

Hinami turned her head and smiled brightly, getting up from the floor clumsily. She practically bounced towards him and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Welcome back!"

It never failed to amaze Ayato that Hinami was full of energy during the day despite spending the night before in the bathroom. "Well?"

She moved away, shuffling back to the infants on the floor, and bent to gather one in each arm; something that should be physically impossible, ghoul or not. As she settled them on her hips, she explained. "After you left for the store, Touka, Yoriko-san, and Kimi-san came by and dropped off all these things that we might need for the baby."

Ayato nodded. "And why are there four brats in their place?"

"They all had to run an errand so I offered to watch the kids so they could get it done quickly," Hinami chirped. "Did you get the coffee?"

"It's on the counter."

"Thank you!" She set the babies in the playpen (bought specifically for when they babysat the twins) and skipped into the kitchen. She dug through the bag and pulled out the coffee beans, getting ready to make a cup. While she worked, she talked about different things. "Do you think we should paint our bedroom?"

"What? Why?" Ayato sat at the table, trying to ignore the toddlers crawling all over him.

"Yoriko-san said that certain colors can soothe newborns," she said. "I was wondering if we should paint our room one of those colors."

"That sounds like a load of bullshit," he grunted as Miyu accidently kneed his stomach.

Hinami ignored him. "Or we could move. The baby will have to have its own room eventually."

"Hinami, you are only four months pregnant," Ayato pointed out.

She waved her hand dismissively. "It's never too early to start planning your child's future, Ayato. Oh! We also need to think of names. I think it should be Hikari if it's a girl and maybe Arata if we have a boy; what do you think?"

"I think we don't even know what gender it is and we'll decide when it's born," he said, uninterested.

Hinami deflated. She sighed and focused on pour the hot water over the grounds. "You could at least act like you're happy," she mumbled dejectedly.

"Hina- **Okay**, Kaneki brats need to get the hell off before I get pissed!" Ayato snatched Miyu off of his lap and set her on the floor, also detaching Minoru's arms from his shin.

"You don't need to be so mean to them, Ayato," Hinami huffed, walking over to the twins and patting their heads.

"I didn't even hit them," he shrugged. He waited until Hinami sent the twins into the living room to watch the babies. "Hinami."

"Hm?" She busied herself again with the coffee.

Ayato sighed. "Hina, I didn't mean that I was unhappy about the baby. I just don't want to get in too deep when things could still go wrong."

He didn't need to say what he meant by "things could still go wrong"; she already knew. They were ghouls; the constant threat of being hunted down by the CCG made bringing a child into the world extremely difficult. Hinami thought of what her own mother might have gone through just to give birth to her.

She stopped what she was doing and sighed. "I know… It's just hard."

Feeling bad for ruining her mood Ayato got up from the table and wrapped his arm around her from behind, his hands resting on her slight baby bump.

Hinami closed her eyes and leaned her head back, letting it rest against his shoulder.

"Ahem."

Ayato turned his head and found three women standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He clicked his tongue. "What do you want?"

Touka smirked at her brother. She gestured to the two beside her, Yoriko and Kimi. "We came back for our children. No need to get so defensive, little brother."

Hinami moved out of his arms and smiled at the women before disappearing into the living room. She reappeared a couple minutes later with the two infants in her arms and the twins following behind her like ducklings. The twins ran to their mother and began to tell her about their time with their aunt; the infants cooed happily when their mothers picked them up out of Hinami's arms.

"Thank you for watching her, Hinami-chan," Kimi said gratefully. Yoriko smiled and nodded while she tried to calm her wiggling son.

"Anytime," she responded, smiling brightly.

"Well, we'll be back later to pick up the stuff you won't need," Touka announced, grabbing the twins by their hand. "Call me if you need something."

Hinami followed them to the door and saw them out, kissing the twins' cheeks. She locked the door behind them and returned to the kitchen, one hand rubbing her belly. A steaming mug of coffee was waiting for her on the table. She lifted her swollen feet up onto the chair across from her and brought the mug to her lips, taking a long drink.

"… Ayato," she called, setting the mug on the table.

"Wha?" He walked into the kitchen, changing his shirt.

"I don't want this coffee," she stated bluntly. "It tastes weird."

"You've gotta be kidding," he groaned. She shook her head seriously. He sighed. "Alright fine, what kind do you want?"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I want some of Big Brother's coffee."

"Son of a-" He grabbed a thermos from the cabinet and stomped to the front door. He shoved his feet into his shoes and closed the door behind him, grumbling obscenities the entire way.

Hinami giggled and rubbed circles on her belly. "Daddy might not show it very often but he does love you and Mommy, doesn't he?"

* * *

**Okay so this was actually going to go differently than it did but somehow I just forgot to write it that way? There's still at least two chapters left before the end, so I'll work what was supposed to happen in this chapter into the next one. Since this one isn't really all that great, in my opinion...**

**The Nishikimi and Yoride babies don't have names because I couldn't think of any :/ And in case you don't know, Hikari and Arata were the names of Ayato's parents (Hinami's parents' names are also in the running for Ayahina baby name)**

**As always a huge thank you for reading, I really do love you all that read my shitty fan fiction. Please feel free to tell me what you think or any comments/questions you might have, I'm always hungry for feedback. There are like three ways to contact me, so definitely put those to good use! ^^**

**With love,**

**Lau ( ˘ ³˘) **

**Tschüss!**

_**Coming soon to an electronic device near you: Admiration from Afar (Tousaki)**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Standard disclaimer: I own nothing besides the children and plot**

* * *

In a rare moment of open affection Ayato lounged on the bed, leaning back against the headboard and his chin resting on her shoulder, massaging his girlfriend's seven month pregnant belly. He could feel the baby kick insistently against the palm of his hand as he vaguely listened to what Hinami was saying.

"What do you think about the name Manami? Or Chiyo? Hanako? Maybe Saki?" Hinami leaned her head back to look at her silent boyfriend. "Ayato? Are you listening?"

"Hn," he grunted. "We don't even know what it is; what if it's a boy?"

Hinami grinned. "Of course I have boy names as well." She turned the page in her little notebook. "I came up with: Daichi, Hayato, Katsuo, Kazuki, Nao, Yasu, and of course, Arata."

"You have way too much time on your hands to come up with so many names for a baby that isn't even born yet," he mumbled. Hinami closed the notebook and smacked him on the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

"When you're seven months pregnant and can't stand up without needing to pee, then you can talk to me about having too much time on my hands," she pouted. "Ugh."

Hinami winced as the baby rolled over, kicking her spine painfully as it settled comfortably. In an attempt to relieve the pain against her lower back Hinami shifted to her side, using Ayato's leg as support. "Your child likes to make me as uncomfortable as possible, you know that?"

"How is that my fault?" Ayato lifted his head from her shoulder, watching as she tried to find a new position as comfortable as possible for being seven months pregnant. He noticed something strange on the quilt where Hinami's bottom had just been; it was a stain. "Hinami what is that?" He gestured to it with his chin.

Hinami barely spared a glance before she shrugged and nonchalantly said, "Blood."

"**BLOOD?**" Ayato sat up completely and turned Hinami's head to face him. "You're not supposed to be bleeding, aren't you?"

"It is fine, it's normal during pregnancy," Hinami reassured, scooting to the edge of the bed. She slid off the bed and landed on her feet with a slight wince.

"Where are you going? You're bleeding, you shouldn't be walking around aimlessly."

Hinami exhaled loudly and smiled sweetly. "Ayato, our child is currently putting 80% of its weight on my bladder so if you don't want to have to wash the bed clothes because you didn't let your pregnant girlfriend go to the bathroom, I suggest you let me pee in peace. I'll be done in less than five minutes." Without waiting for a response she waddled into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Ayato sat for a minute, thinking, before getting up and walked into the living room with his phone in hand. Swallowing his pride he dialed his sister's phone number; it rang six times before a cheery voice answered.

"Uncle 'Yato!" Miyu chirped excitedly. "Do you want to talk to Mama? I can go get-"

"That's enough Miyu, give me the phone." There was rustling sound as Touka took the phone from her daughter. Ayato waited, somewhat impatiently, for his sister to speak. "Ayato?"

"Took you long enough," he grunted.

"Was there something you needed or can I get back to raising my children?"

"No- yes, there's something I need to ask you," he sighed. "About Hinami."

"What about Hinami?" An immediate reply. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. I think. I don't know! Can you just come over here?" Ayato spoke fast; partly because he was worried and partly because he didn't necessarily enjoy asking his sister for help.

"Alright calm down, little brother," Touka said soothingly. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

Ayato hung up and paced back to the bedroom, relieved to find Hinami resting again with a book in her lap and a heating pad pressed against her lower back. She looked up from her book when he walked into the room.

"Where did you go?" She asked.

He paused. Ayato didn't want to tell her that he called Touka because he was worried; Hinami would have felt that he didn't trust her when she said it was fine. There was no way that Ayato wanted to upset an **extremely** pregnant woman, he knew better from his experience with his sister's pregnancy. So he gave a mundane excuse that Hinami wouldn't find suspicious. Shrugging, he lied, "Just making sure we still had meat since I haven't gone hunting in a while."

"Oh." She turned her attention back to her book, adjusting the heating pad to another area; she leaned against him when he sat next to her.

Ten minutes later Ayato heard the front door open seconds before a pair of three-year-old twins burst into the room, the door slamming into the wall from the forceful opening.

"Aunt Nami!"

Hinami looked up, surprised.

"Miyu, Minoru! What are you doing here?" She steadied herself as the twins scrambled onto the bed, settling on each side of her; Miyu wedged herself between Ayato and Hinami.

"Mama brough' us hewe!" Miyu grinned.

"'Cause Uncle Yato called an' said someting was wong," Minoru explained more calmly.

"Something was wrong?" Hinami raised an eyebrow, switching her gaze from the twins to Ayato, who was avoiding eye contact.

Touka stepped into the room, sparing Ayato from an explanation. "I assumed it had something to do with the baby since he willingly asked me for help," she said.

"But there's nothing wrong with the baby," Hinami insisted, receiving a pointed look from her boyfriend. "Okay so maybe there's a little spotting, but that doesn't mean there's something wrong, right?"

"Not necessarily. It's normal for some women, but not in the Kirishima family," Touka explained. "I don't know if it happened with your mother?"

Hinami shook her head. "I don't think so, though I never really asked her about these kinds of things."

"Hmm..." Touka hummed in thought for a couple minutes. "There's no harm in checking, I supposed. Miyu and Minoru, go play in the living room. Do **not** make a mess."

The twins pouted as they slid off the bed and shuffled out the door. Touka patted their heads as they passed before turning to Ayato. "You can either stay or leave, it's up to you."

"I think I'll make sure your demon brats don't break anything in my home," Ayato mumbled; he could feel Hinami's eyes follow him to the door. Closing the door behind him, he wandered into the living room and was immediately pounced on by the twins.

"Uncle Yato!" Miyu wrapped herself around his legs while Minoru grabbed his hand and tried to pull him to the couch.

"What?" Ayato reluctantly allowed the toddler to pull him forward, grumbling the whole way.

Minoru pushed Ayato until he sat down before crawling up onto the cushion and fixing him with an intense stare. "Uncle Yato," he began seriously, "whewre do babies come fwom?"

Ayato blinked. "Uh..."

"Yah, yah! 'Ow do you make babies, Uncle Yato?" Miyu popped up on his other side, her face close.

"Papa said we were delivewred by a big bird one night," Minoru told him. "But Mama said tat was wong an' she would tell us when we were bigger."

The twins stared up at their uncle, eyes full of curiosity; Ayato shifted uncomfortably. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't just tell three-year-olds that babies are made when two people have unprotected sex; Hinami would kill him if he did that. 'How the fuck do you give toddlers a reason they'll believe? This is so fucking awkward, why me?' He could feel the twins' gazes boring into him, demanding answers. When he couldn't think of anything good he said,

"It's something you learn to do when you turn 18." He prayed they would accept it.

"'Kay!" Miyu accepted the answer without any deep thought, more interested in digging through the toy box.

Minoru was silent as he rolled the answer in his mind trying to decide if it was true or not - as much as a three-year-old could. Eventually he nodded.

"Tank you, Uncle Yato!" He patted Ayato's cheek and scrambled off the couch in search of something to play with.

Ayato exhaled in relief. "Thank God they're at a stupid age," he mumbled.

"I heard that, little brother." The twins dropped their toys and ran to their mother, clinging to her legs.

"Well it's true," Ayato huffed, annoyed.

"You were just as stupid, you know," Touka smirked, enjoying the irritated look on her brother's face.

"..." He opted to change the subject; Touka was only there to check on Hinami after all, he told himself. "You were in there for less than ten minutes, how can you be done?"

"Miyu, Minoru, go put your shoes on," Touka ordered, gathering up the twins' discarded coats. She turned to Ayato. "She'll be fine as long as she doesn't do much until birth."

Ayato followed his sister to the door, watching as she put the twins in their respective coats. "But what was wrong?"

"I'm not entirely sure what is was, but," she paused as she put on her own coat, "I **vaguely** remember the same thing happened to Mom when she was pregnant with you."

A long silence followed, Touka watched Ayato's face pale just slightly. She felt for him, after all their mother died when she gave birth to him. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure Hinami's birth will be like her mother's. If anything happens, call me." She opened the door and ushered the twins through, closing it behind them.

Ayato stood in the foyer for a few minutes, shell shocked. He had killed countless numbers of humans - and ghouls - in his twenty-two years, seen things so gruesome that even the most seasoned ER doctor wouldn't be able to stomach; he had lived most of his life surrounded by bloodthirsty ghouls. But he had never been more afraid than he was at that moment; Hinami was the best thing that ever happened to him and he couldn't lose her, giving birth to their child or not. It simply was not going to happen.

"Ayato?" Hinami's voice drifted down the hallway, snapping him out of his musings. He quickly made his way back into the bedroom.

"What were you doing?" she asked.

"Thinking," he answered, sitting next to her.

She gestured for him to elaborate, "And? What were you thinking about?"

He didn't say anything right away, unsure of whether he should tell her exactly what he was thinking. But he could see that he wouldn't be able to dodge the question, so he went ahead and said it even though it was guaranteed to upset her immensely.

"That maybe we shouldn't have continued the pregnancy," he confessed, looking away. The room became so silent that he could even hear Hinami's heartbeat. Mentally Ayato was cursing himself for telling her the truth; that was something he should never have even thought. Minutes went by in total silence; Ayato was becoming extremely nervous. "Look-"

"Why?"

Ayato blinked; he wasn't expecting her to stay calm. "What?"

Hinami gently rubbed her belly, her face solemn. "Why?" she repeated. "Why do you think we shouldn't have continued the pregnancy?"

"Because..." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I'd rather have you over a baby."

He felt Hinami's hands creep into his hair, rubbing the back of his neck. She tugged on his earring until he finally faced her.

She smiled sadly. "Is this because your mother died to have you?"

He nodded, ashamed.

"Ayato," she cooed, bringing his head to her shoulder and running her fingers through his hair soothingly. "I'm not your mother; every pregnancy is different."

"I know, but-"

"Besides," she continued, cutting him off. "I have absolutely no intention of missing out on seeing you turn into a giant teddy bear that's weak against his child's wants. There's no way the great Black Rabbit, one of the CCG's most wanted ghouls, could raise a baby by himself; especially if it's a girl. You would be utterly defenseless without me by your side."

"... I am not going to be a "giant teddy bear" when it's born," he mumbled into her shoulder.

"**That's** what you took from that little spiel? No comment on how defenseless you are without me?" Hinami laughed as Ayato shrugged.

"I accepted that fact a long time ago when you beat the shit out of me for accidentally ruining one of your precious books," he told her. It was true, he had never seen his little girlfriend more furious; and it was all over a book.

"Just think about how much more defenseless you'll be if we have a girl," she chirped. "You'll be just like Big Brother!"

Ayato growled, "I sure as hell will never be anything like that stupid white-haired idiot."

Hinami smiled, still stroking his hair

They fell silent for a while. Ayato moved behind her and gathered her against him, his hands resting on her belly.

"... Do you really think I'll be like that guy?"

* * *

**So... I feel like this is so painfully OOC but I tried. A for effort, right? If you can ignore the OOC, it might be halfway decent. Maybe. The ages are complete shots in the dark tbh. I'm really bad with establishing ages (I don't think I ever put an exact age for the twins in Reality Kick?) so I just tried to make them as believable as possible. **

**There's only one more chapter left! I want to thank all of you who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed. From the bottom of my trash heart, thank you. **

**Also, I am aware that Ayato's mother _did not die giving birth to him_; it just fit with the story.**

**At any rate, please look forward to the final chapter of From Steps to Leaps! **

**With love,**

**Lau**

**Coming soon to an electronic device near you:**

**Cuddle Time pt. 1 **_[Tousaki; in progress]_

**To Heal the Heart ch. 5 **_[in progress]_

**Sibling Rivalry **_[Lucy &amp; Juvia v. Laxus &amp; Gajeel; in progress]_

**Cuddle Time pt. 2 **_[Ayahina; in progress]_


	5. Chapter 5

**Standard disclaimer: I own nothing besides the children and the plot!**

* * *

Ayato wasn't sure how much longer he could survive with a pregnant girlfriend. Hinami was a week overdue and it was beginning to take a toll on her body and Ayato's patience. He loved Hinami, he really did, but nine months with a pregnant woman was long enough. To make matters worse he was receiving sympathy from the one person he never wanted to receive anything from; Kaneki. Kaneki was pestering him with stories of how it felt when the twins were born early. Touka thought the whole situation was hilarious, having been in a similar one with her own pregnancy. As luck would have it, Ayato wouldn't have to wait very long for his relief.

/ / /

Hinami was sitting on the floor - an amazing feat for an overdue pregnant woman - of Touka's living room, playing with the twins. Kaneki and Touka had convinced the younger couple that they needed to get out of their apartment, pregnancy or not. So while Ayato was put to work in: RE, Hinami was left to her own devices upstairs with her sister-in-law, niece and nephew.

She was beyond exhausted. The mental and physical stress put on her body due to the pregnancy; her ankles were swollen beyond recognition, her back ached as if she had been run over by a semi, and she was extremely irritable. There had been multiple false alarms in the eight days since her estimated due date, that most recent being two days ago. Hinami was sick and tired of being pregnant; if she could take the baby out herself, she would.

But there was nothing she could do but wait. A ghoul couldn't possibly go to the hospital and since her father had been killed, there wasn't a decent underground ghoul hospital any longer. She had resigned herself to wait. Or so she thought.

Hinami had been in the process of playing rabbits with Miyu when a sharp pain suddenly shot through her back.

"Ugh." She dropped the stuffed rabbit and placed a hand to her lower back, rubbing circles into it. The back pain faded only to be replaced by a clenching pain in her stomach.

"Aunt Nami?" Miyu touched Hinami's cheek, wondering what was wrong with her aunt.

Minoru looked up from his book. Immediately he noticed that Hinami was in pain and leaped up from his spot, running down the hallway.

"Mama!" He yelled as he ran. "Aunt Nami is hurting!"

"I'm fin- GUH." Hinami's stomach felt as if something was holding her internal organs and squeezing them with all their strength. She huffed, knocked breathless by the degree of pain.

Touka raced into the living room, Minoru trailing behind her. She ran around the couch and knelt in front of Hinami.

"What hurts? Where? How bad is it?" Touka touched Hinami's forehead while she asked rapid-fire questions; her forehead was warm and she was beginning to sweat.

"I-It's my stomach..." Hinami choked out. "And my back..."

Touka carefully slipped her hand under Hinami's arms and slowly lifted the pregnant woman up onto the couch.

"Sit tight, I'm going to call Yoshimura," she ordered. She turned to the twins, both staring with wide eyes. "You two, come with me."

Leaving Hinami panting on the sofa, Touka paced back into the hallway with the twins.

The small family returned a few minutes later; the twins each had a backpack strapped to them. A soft knock sounded at the door; Touka patted Hinami's hand as she passed to answer.

Touka opened the door to show Yoriko standing with a wiggling bundle strapped to her chest.

"Aunt Yori!" The twins cried together. They shuffled as fast as they could to the woman, latching themselves to her legs.

"You guys be good for Yoriko, okay?" Touka gave the twins a serious look. "She'll bring you back when Aunt Hinami is feeling better."

"'Kay!"

Yoriko smiled and waved to Hinami before taking the twins by the hand and leading them away from their home.

Sighing Touka closed the door behind them. She turned from the door and made her way to the kitchen. As she passed by the living room she said, "I'll get a cool rag, it might help."

"Thank you, big sister," Hinami whispered. She was clutching a throw pillow to her chest, mutilating it with the way she was squeezing her arms around it. The pains would stop for a moment before coming back full force.

"Okay," Touka breathed out. She walked into the living room with a bowl of water and set it on the coffee table, wetting a rag. Gently wiping Hinami's face, she spoke calmly. "I called Yoshimura - he should be here soon. I also called Ken so he and Ayato know what's going on."

"Are they closing the shop?"

Touka nodded, patting Hinami's sweaty forehead. They fell silent aside from Hinami's harsh breathing and periodic groans of pain. Less than ten minutes passed before the door burst open.

"Hinami!" Kaneki rushed into the living room, pale as a ghost.

"Ken calm down," Touka sighed. "She's in labor, not dying."

"But this is my baby sister, Touka!"

Ayato followed more slowly behind his brother-in-law. He looked pale, though not as bad as Kaneki.

"Didn't you freak out enough when the twins were born?" Touka frowned in her husband's direction.

"No, because I didn't have to face my baby sister becoming a woman," Kaneki huffed.

"That's-"

"Can you **please **shut up or take this little lover's spat somewhere else?" Ayato snapped irritably. "Hinami is about to give birth, I don't think right now is the time to be freaking out about her growing up."

"That's right, Ayato-kun," Yoshimura agreed, walking through the still open door; he closed and locked it behind him. He walked into the living room, smiling serenely down at Hinami. "How are you feeling?"

Hinami smiled meekly. "I've been better."

"I'm sure you have," Yoshimura replied wisely. He looked around the living room before turning to Ayato and Kaneki. "Will you please help move Hinami into the bedroom? She'll be more comfortable."

As Ayato and Kaneki carefully helped Hinami from the couch and down the hallway, Yoshimura looked at Touka. "We're going to need a lot of towels and hot water, Touka-chan."

Yoshimura calmly made his way down the hallway to the bedroom, leaving Touka to collect everything needed. He had a baby to deliver.

/ / /

Five hours later Hinami laid on the bed, sweaty and exhausted, while Touka cleaned up the wailing newborn; it was a girl.

Two hours into labor, Kaneki had to leave the room because he couldn't handle seeing his "baby sister" giving birth. Ayato sat beside Hinami the whole time holding her hand; he looked pale throughout the whole event but was otherwise silent.

Finally the baby's cries quieted as Touka swaddled the infant in a soft blanket. She brought the newborn over to the bed and laid her in Hinami's arms.

Hinami gently touched one of her daughter's hands, the tiny fingers wrapping around one of Hinami's. A tear slipped down Hinami's cheek unnoticed.

"She looks just like Ayato," Hinami whispered, awed.

Before Ayato could say anything, the twins burst into the room.

"Aunt Nami!" Their voices filled the room, followed by the pitter-pats of their bare feet on the floor.

Yoriko stood in the doorway, smiling apologetically. She promised to come see Hinami the next day with Hide.

Miyu and Minoru hopped on the bed, causing Hinami to bounce up and down.

"Aunt Nami is that a doll?" Miyu asked excitedly. "Can I play with it?!"

"Stupid Mimi," Minoru pinched her arm. "That's a baby!"

"Oh!" Miyu stuck her tongue out at her brother before turning back to her aunt and brand new cousin. "Can I play with the baby, Aunt Nami?"

Hinami smiled at her niece. "When she's bigger, you can play with her as much as you want, Miyu."

"Yay!" Miyu cheered, much to the room's amusement. "What's baby's name?"

Hinami looked down at her daughter before meeting the eyes of everyone present. She nodded to Ayato and turned to her niece. "Her name is Saki."

The room was silent as everybody looked at the new arrival, snuggled against her mother's bosom.

"Well," Yoshimura said, breaking the silence. "I think it's time for me to go. I'll be back tomorrow to play with my new grandchild."

"Thank you so much, Yoshimura-san," Hinami sniffled. This man had helped her with so much in her life. "I wouldn't have had anybody else deliver my child."

Yoshimura smiled serenely, pleased with himself, before quietly leaving the apartment.

"Okay I think it's time for a certain set of twins to go to bed now, too," Touka announced, picking the twins up off the bed one by one. She pushed them out the door with Kaneki before turning back to her brother. "You two can sleep in here, there's no way Ken is going to let Hinami go home after having just given birth. We'll sleep with the twins. See you tomorrow!"

After Touka closed the door behind her Hinami yawned widely.

"If only giving birth was as fun and easy as making the baby..." Hinami giggled to herself. She noticed that Ayato had yet to say anything since the baby had been born. "Ayato?"

"Hm?" He seemed distracted.

"Are you okay?" She tried to get him to look at her, but he was busy staring into space.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Ayato mentally shook himself, turning to his girlfriend. "It just seems unreal?"

"Even though you literally just watched our daughter be pushed out of me?"

Ayato grimaced; of all the grotesque things he'd seen in his life, a baby being born was one that he'd rather not see again. "Yes, even after that."

"I know what you mean..." Suddenly Hinami brightened. She offered the baby to Ayato. "Do you want to hold her?!"

"Um..." Ayato looked down at the small bundle being offered. He was captivated by the baby's small face and tuft of dark blue hair; he caved. "Yeah... I do..."

Ayato tried to mimic the way Hinami's arms were holding Saki as Hinami carefully nestled the baby in her father's arms.

"Make sure you support her head," Hinami whispered, adjusting Ayato's arm so that Saki's head was resting in the crook of his elbow.

Saki wiggled as Hinami moved her arms from under her, leaving her in Ayato's foreign arms. She fussed slightly until Ayato lifted her closer to his chest, his heartbeat soothing her.

Ayato gazed down at his tiny daughter, in awe that something so small could be comfortable in his arms. He felt his throat contract with emotion as Saki raised her arms and grabbed at the air with her little hands. Her eyes slowly blinked open; like most newborns they were bright blue. He facial muscles twitched, making her seem as if she was smiling. Ayato touched one of Saki's hands, letting out a large breath when Saki wrapped her tiny hand around her father's thumb.

Hinami watched her boyfriend interact with their daughter with a content smile on her face. It warmed her heart to see the way that Ayato handled Saki as if she were the most fragile thing in the universe. Hinami remembered wondering what her own mother must have gone through just to give her life; and she was beginning to understand. Watching the love of her life and their child, Hinami decided that the risk of having a child was worth being able to give Ayato the family that he lost.

/ Five Years Later/

Five children ran through the kitchen yelling and screaming, trying to trip one another.

"Kouta! Kenta! Minoru!" Ayato yelled from the table, where he was feeding his youngest child. "Stop running around the house like maniacs!"

"Papa how come you don get mad at Saki and Mimi?!" Kouta complained.

"Yah! You never get mad at the girls!" Kenta whined, pouting.

"Because that's just the way it is," Ayato responded, trying to burp the baby.

Grumbling the twin boys shuffled into the living room to continue playing with their sister and cousins. Hinami carried a steaming pot of coffee from the counter and set it on the table. She took the baby from Ayato and laid set her in the playpen.

"Ayato you need to treat the girls the same way you treat the boys," she chided her husband as she gave the baby her pacifier. "Are you going to keep treating them like this when Hana grows up too?"

"Well maybe if the boys were as well-behaved as Saki is I wouldn't have to treat them different," Ayato grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why did we have kids in the first place?"

Hinami chuckled, she knew he didn't mean what he said. Ayato was smitten with all their children and would do anything for them. She straightened from the playpen and made her way over to her grumpy husband.

Leaning against his chair she ran her hand through his hair. "Maybe if you hadn't asked me to move in that day, we never would have had kids at all."

In answer Ayato leaning his head into Hinami's hand, enjoying the way her fingers moved through his hair. As much as he complained about his children, he knew that he didn't mean it. All it took that day was progressing to that next step in order to establish his family; and he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

**So... here we are, the last chapter of From Steps to Leaps. Honestly I love this story so much, despite how short it is. This was born literally from a Valentine's Day oneshot about Ayato asking Hinami to move in with him and look what it became. Thank you ALL who read, favorited, followed, and reviewed. I couldn't have done it without you, honestly. Y'all kept me writing. There were times when I thought about giving up because I couldn't find the motivation to write, but knowing that y'all were (hopefully) waiting excitedly for more, I had to finish. Thank you all so much, truly. From the bottom of my trash heart, thank you. **

**I hope you enjoyed this short story as much as I enjoyed writing it for you! **

**With love,**

**Lau**

* * *

**Incoming:**

**Cuddle Time ch 2 **_[Ayahina; in progress]_

**Passing Notes **_[Soma]_

**Bubble Ghouls **_[Kirishima siblings]_

**Sick Day **_[Nishikimi]_


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